Saving Leatherbacks in Costa Rica!

Saving Leatherbacks in Costa Rica!

Where photo taken: At the sea turtle egg hatchery outside the Goldring-Gund Marine Biology Field Station in Playa Grande, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Earthwatch Team 3 volunteers were stationed here working with dedicated marine biologists to preserve the eastern Pacific Leatherback turtle which is at risk of extinction.

Best meal: Station researchers depended on Kikes nearby restaurant providing filling breakfasts and dinners and knock your socks off fruit smoothies so appreciated after a hot humid day on the turtle nesting beaches of Playa Grande.

Best deal: These vital leatherback nesting beaches are now protected within the Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas. You can get to the park by paved road and while tourist facilities are sparse, there are small options for places to stay nearby and the town of Tamarindo has more extensive accommodations. Join Earthwatch and volunteer to be a citizen scientist on a research team meeting fascinating people and being a part of an effort to understand and preserve our gorgeous planet and its natural wonders.

Best time to go: Depending on how preferences, the wet season from May or so through November means green landscapes and humid conditions while the dry season provides for a very different environment.

Best travel tip: Of the three major sea turtle species that nest on the Playa Grande, the eastern Pacific Leatherback is critically endangered. Volunteering to help biologists doing all they can to save this struggling majestic creature of the sea and sand as part of an Earthwatch Team provides many rewards and a deep satisfaction in knowing you were an important part of a crucial effort